Spring launch is the busiest time of year for marine service teams—and the smoothest launches are the ones planned well before the rush begins.
Using our customer communication and scheduling tools to run your recommissioning program is one of the best ways to get the most out of your membership. By committing to run your spring launch bookings through Boatyard, you will see real, tangible results for your bottom line and your customer satisfaction.
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to prepare your customers, your schedule, and your team for a more organized, predictable start to the spring season!
Step 1: Review Your Customer Portal Workflow
Spring launch generates a lot of paperwork. Manual contracts and emailed PDFs slow everything down.
By driving all order requests through your Customer Portal, you allow customers to conveniently:
Submit launch requests
Complete digital service order forms
Review and sign contracts
Approve estimates and recommendations
Why this matters
Eliminates back-and-forth emails
Prevents work from starting without approval
Reduces admin bottlenecks
Keeps all launch documents in one place
To do 📝 Review your Customer Portal workflow for spring launch services. If you are interested in a custom spring launch order form, get in touch with us via the Live Support on your dashboard, and we can kick off the process from there!
Step 2: Set Up Status Updates & Quick Replies
Spring launch is peak communication season. Customers want updates—and they want them fast.
Boatyard’s Status Updates and Quick Replies let you send proactive messages like:
Request received
Date booked
Work started
Work complete
Launch scheduled
Instead of typing the same message dozens of times, you write it once and reuse it.
Why this matters
Fewer inbound calls and emails
Faster communication with fewer errors
Clear expectations around timing
Higher customer satisfaction during delays
To do 📝 Add this list of launch-specific status update templates in your dashboard's Status Updates tool before launch season begins. You’ll be glad you did this later!
Step 3: Commit to Using Jobs & Scheduler
Spring launch is a scheduling stress test.
Boatyard’s Jobs and Drag-and-Drop Scheduler give you real-time visibility into:
Active launch jobs
Technician availability
Yard capacity and bottlenecks
Job status and dependencies
Schedules can be adjusted instantly as weather, parts availability, or priorities change.
Why this matters
Fewer overbooked days
Better workload balancing
Faster response to delays
Clear priorities for technicians
To do 📝 Make sure you are trained up on Scheduler, and then align your team on how jobs will be scheduled and managed. If you need help, don’t hesitate to book a short training call with Customer Success to review best practices for managing this type of workflow!
Step 4: Build a Clean Customer List
You can easily sort, filter, and export your customers out of Boatyard to help organize your launch contact lists.
Many service teams choose to send spring launch reminders to all contacts on the same date. You could also consider using the Boatyard Orders module to export customer lists that would allow you to stagger your communications in priority order. For example:
VIP customers
Storage/winterization customers
Customers due for deferred maintenance
Customers from the last 12 months
All remaining contacts
Note💡 Want to send booking reminders to contacts that aren't in Boatyard? No problem! Our bulk import tool can be used for a list of any contacts, not just ones already in your dashboard.
Whether you want to send reminders all at once or in stages, you'll need clean and complete records for each customer in order for reminders to work properly.
First, download the excel template for use in our bulk import tool, and make sure you have data for each contact record. The fields required for each contact are:
Customer name and email
Boat make, model, year, and name
Phone number
Once your contact lists are clean and complete, you'll be ready to roll!
To do: Determine how you want to segment your audience, and organize your lists using our reminder import template. Carefully formatting this simple list once will make sure no customers fall through the cracks!
Step 5: Schedule Your Service Reminders
Service Reminders are the spark that ignites your entire spring launch booking process. Your contacts will be notified via via text and email, and prompted to:
Requested commissioning dates
Complete orders for additional services
Place cards or deposits on file
Note💡 On average, 30% of service reminder recipients customers book services upfront with no intervention, drastically reducing the amount of inbound communications and customer management required for your team.
Why this matters
Full schedules before spring rush
More time to plan labor and parts
Higher acceptance of recommended services
Less inbound and outbound communication
To do: Review our thorough guide to scheduling service reminders, and choose the path that is best for you. Choose the date that you want bookings to start pouring in, and schedule the reminders for that date. Make sure you have completed steps 1-5 ahead of time!
Step 7: Launch with Confidence
Once reminders go out and orders come in:
Customers submit requests through the portal. You will receive notifications on your desktop dashboard and Pro App as they start rolling in.
Send status updates to confirm receipt of their request and next steps.
Create and share estimates for work requested in their order.
Once estimates are approved, schedule jobs for the actual repairs to be done.
Schedule one final job for the customer’s actual launch or pick-up time.
You now have completed contracts, approved work planned, cards on file for final invoicing, and launch/pick-up times reserved— all far ahead of the first big boating weekend.
Bringing It All Together: One Connected System
Spring launch runs best when all tools work together:
Service reminders drive early, convenient bookings
Customer portal manages funnel requests in one location and eliminate paperwork
Jobs and Scheduler keep you organized while remaining flexible
Status updates keep customers informed
The result: More boats launched on time, less chaos behind the scenes, and a better experience for your team and your customers.